Healthcare Inspectorate Wales

Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW)
is the independent inspectorate and regulator of all healthcare in
Wales.

HIW’s primary focus is on:

Making a significant contribution to improving the safety and
quality of healthcare services in Wales

Improving citizens’ experience of healthcare in Wales whether
as a patient, service user, carer, relative or employee

Strengthening the voice of patients and the public in the way
health services are reviewed.

Ensuring that timely, useful, accessible and relevant
information about the safety and quality of healthcare in Wales is
made available to all

HIW’s core role is to review and inspect NHS and independent
healthcare organisations in Wales to provide independent assurance
for patients, the public, the Welsh Assembly Government and
healthcare providers, that services are safe and good quality.

Services are reviewed against a range of published standards,
policies, guidance and regulations.

As part of this work HIW will seek to identify and support
improvements in services and the actions required to achieve
this.

If necessary, HIW will undertake special reviews and
investigations where there appears to be systematic failures in
delivering healthcare services, to ensure that rapid improvement
and learning takes place.

In addition, HIW is the regulator of independent
healthcare providers in Wales and is the Local Supervising
Authority for the statutory supervision of midwives.

HIW carries out its functions on
behalf of Welsh Ministers and, although part of the Welsh Assembly
Government, protocols have been established to safeguard its
operational autonomy.

HIW’s main functions and
responsibilities are drawn from the following legislation:

Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act
2003

Care Standards Act 2000 and associated regulations

Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Health Act 2007

Statutory Supervision of Midwives as set out in Articles 42 and
43 of the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001

HIW works closely with other
inspectorates and regulators in carrying out cross sector reviews
in social care, education and criminal justice and in developing
more proportionate and co-ordinated approaches to the review and
regulation of healthcare in Wales.

HIW and RCPsych in Wales are working
closely together and following intial meetings have identified
areas of collaborative work, including:

Health Inspectorate Wales
Newsletter

May 2012

This edition brings information on HIW
forthcoming second Mental Health Act Annual Report, which sets out
the key findings of the work undertaken in 2010 - 2011 by the
reviewers and Second Opinion Appointed Doctors.

Also included is news on the first
Dignity and Essential Care reports.